Does a new law double the penalties for reckless driving in Wisconsin?
The bipartisan-sponsored bill, Assembly Bill 55, was signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers on May 10, 2023, doubling maximum fines and sentences for reckless driving violations.
The fine for a first offense went from a minimum of $25 to $50 and a maximum of $200 to $400.
The penalties also doubled for a second or subsequent conviction to a maximum $1,000. Repeat violators also can be sentenced to up to one year in jail.
The potential fines and jail time for reckless driving resulting in "bodily harm" doubled, too, with maximums raised from $2,000 to $4,000, and from one year to two years imprisonment, respectively.
For injuries regarded as "great bodily harm," the maximum sentence is now six years, up from three-and-a-half years.
About 2,900 people are injured in reckless driving crashes every year in Wisconsin and, in 2022, 119 people were killed by reckless drivers, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
